I'm currently going through this exact situation! I'm 33 weeks and just had to stop working due to severe morning sickness that never went away plus some blood pressure issues. My doctor told me the same thing - file immediately after your last day of work. I submitted my claim last week and it's already been approved! The key things I learned: 1) Your doctor needs to be very specific about WHY you can't work (not just "pregnancy complications" but actual symptoms like nausea preventing you from performing duties, blood pressure requiring bed rest, etc.), 2) File online if possible - it's faster than paper, 3) Check your claim status daily online, and 4) Don't stress about the 7-day waiting period - that's automatic and built into the system. One tip: when I called my doctor's office to make sure they got the medical certification request, I asked them to fax it that same day rather than mailing it. This sped things up by almost a week! Hope this helps and congratulations on your little one!

I just wanted to share my recent experience since I went through this exact situation last month! I had to stop working at 35 weeks due to pregnancy-induced hypertension and was so confused about the timing too. Here's what I learned: You absolutely CAN file on February 16th and list that as your first day of disability - don't wait! The 7-day waiting period is automatic, so you won't get paid for that first week but it still counts toward your claim. The most important thing is getting your doctor to be super detailed in the medical certification about WHY you can't work (specific symptoms, restrictions, etc.) rather than just saying "pregnancy complications." I also recommend calling your doctor's office a day or two after filing to confirm they received the medical form from EDD and ask them to prioritize submitting it. My claim was approved within a week because I stayed on top of the medical paperwork. Don't stress too much about the early timing - as long as your doctor medically justifies the need to stop working before your due date, EDD handles pregnancy complications all the time. Good luck and take care of yourself!

wait i just reread ur post - ur still on pregnancy disability? not baby bonding leave yet? make sure u know the difference cuz i got confused and it caused problems with my claim!

I went through almost the exact same situation when I was on pregnancy disability last year! My employer also automatically applied sick time during my waiting period without asking, and I got hit with a $900 overpayment notice. What helped me was documenting everything - I found the email where I specifically told HR I wanted to save my sick days, and I also had them put in writing that their policy wasn't clearly communicated to employees. I did appeal, and while it took about 6 weeks, they actually reduced the overpayment amount by about 40% because I could prove I wasn't properly informed about their automatic sick leave policy. For your bonus, definitely report it ASAP through the SDI Online portal. I had a similar situation with a year-end bonus and the key is reporting it quickly to avoid any issues. The system will automatically calculate how it affects that week's benefit. One tip that really helped me - document EVERYTHING going forward. Take screenshots of your communications with both your employer and EDD, and keep copies of all notices. If anything else comes up during your PFL period, you'll be prepared!

This might sound weird, but have you checked your bank account? Sometimes the EDD website shows the wrong amount but the correct payment goes through. Happened to me once and I freaked out for nothing lol

I went through something similar a few months ago and it turned out to be a quarterly earnings review that triggered an automatic adjustment. EDD sometimes recalculates your benefit amount based on updated wage data from employers, but they're terrible at communicating this. Check if you received any work income in the last quarter that might have been reported late by an employer - even small amounts can trigger a recalculation. Also look for any notices in your UI Online inbox, sometimes they bury important info there. If you can't find anything obvious, definitely follow @Mateo Rodriguez's advice above - his step-by-step approach is solid. Just be patient, it can take weeks to get answers but usually there IS a reason, even if they don't tell you upfront. Keep us posted on what you find out! This stuff affects all of us.

After your pregnancy SDI ends, you might also be eligible for Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding with your newborn before returning to UI. PFL gives you up to 8 weeks of partial wage replacement benefits. You can transition directly from SDI to PFL without a waiting period, which is a nice benefit many people don't realize exists.

I hadn't even considered PFL! That would be really helpful. So the order would be: UI → SDI for pregnancy → PFL for bonding → back to UI if needed? That sounds like the best approach to maximize my benefits.

Update: I was able to get through to EDD this morning! I used the Claimyr service that someone recommended here and got connected to a representative after about 30 minutes. They updated my return to work date in the system and gave me a confirmation number like someone suggested. Thanks everyone for your help!

Congratulations on getting through and handling this properly! For anyone else reading this thread in the future - Sofia's experience shows that persistence pays off. The key takeaways seem to be: 1) Call right at 8am when they open, 2) Consider using services like Claimyr if regular calling isn't working, 3) Always get a confirmation number when you report changes, and 4) Keep documentation of your attempts to contact them. It's frustrating that there's no online option for something this basic, but at least there are ways to get through eventually.